Operation Iraqi Freedom, Fallen Heroes, Iraq War 03/19/03

Dillon C Baldridge

Youngsville, North Carolina

June 10, 2017

Age Military Rank Unit/Location
22 Army Cpl

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Company D, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

Fort Campbell, KY

 Died June 10 in Peka Valley, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, of gunshot wounds sustained in Peka Valley, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation.

From US News usnews.com 06/12/17

3 Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan, Deaths Under Investigation

By EMERY P. DALESIO, Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Cpl. Dillon C. Baldridge loved being a soldier since joining right after high school graduation and re-enlisted before shipping out late last year to Afghanistan, where he was killed with two fellow soldiers over the weekend, his aunt said Monday.

"He just loved adventure, and he was always ready to challenge himself and make himself better in some way," Melissa Strickland of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, said as her nephew's body was returning to the United States. But "the thing he was most passionate about was his family."

Baldridge, 22, of Youngsville, North Carolina, was one of three 101st Airborne Division soldiers killed Saturday in Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province, authorities said. Also killed were Sgt. William M. Bays, 29, of Barstow, California, and Sgt. Eric M. Houck, 25, of Baltimore.

The Department of Defense said in a statement that the soldiers died of wounds received while supporting a military operation called Freedom's Sentinel. But it didn't elaborate, saying the deaths remain under investigation and no other details were being released at this time.

In Washington, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer spoke about the deaths at his regular press briefing Monday.

"I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the three service members that were killed this weekend in Afghanistan. The incident is currently under investigation, but our thoughts and our prayers are with the families of these American heroes who've lost their lives in this tragic event," Spicer told reporters.

Baldridge's maternal grandmother Debbie Horan remembered a happy young boy who had no fear of the spotlight.

"Even at the youngest age, we'd go into a restaurant and he loved music and he would just belt out a song and everybody would just stand around and listen to him sing, at 4 years old," Horan said.

Baldridge and Houck had been due to return home next month, their families said.

Houck enlisted a few years after graduating from high school in the Baltimore suburbs. He had married his high school sweetheart and found in military duty a way to support his growing family and serve his country, his father said. The soldier leaves behind two young children.

"He was a husband and father first," said his father, Mike Houck. "He was a son and brother, and then he was a soldier. His family was the most important thing to him." He also loved playing soccer, football and baseball.

Mike Houck said he was nervous when he learned his only son would be heading overseas.

"If he was nervous, he didn't let on," Houck added. "He took it bravely, as his responsibility as a soldier. He was unwavering in his dedication to that. But as a parent you're nervous every day."

Houck began his military career as a private and rose to the rank of sergeant in just three years, his father said. He added that his son would travel in forward positions with the infantry and was responsible for directing airstrikes.

"He was exemplary," Houck said. "He was a hell of a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a soldier."

There was no immediate information about Bays, the third soldier who died.
___

Associated Press writers Juliet Linderman in Baltimore, Jill Colvin in Washington and Martha Waggoner in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
From FOX News foxnews.com 06/12/17:

Afghanistan shooting: 3 US soldiers killed are identified
Published June 12, 2017
FoxNews.com
The Pentagon on Monday released the names of the three U.S. soldiers killed in an attack by an Afghan army soldier over the
weekend.
The U.S. soldiers were identified as:
- Sergeant Eric M. Houck, 25, of Baltimore, Maryland

The soldiers were shot Saturday in Peka Valley, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. A fourth U.S. soldier was injured in the attack.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the act. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that a militant loyalist
had infiltrated the Afghan army "just to attack foreign forces."
The soldiers were assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st
Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Company D, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne
Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, KY. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team “Rakkasans” deployed last fall in support of Operation
Freedom's Sentinel.
"Today, as we grieve, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Cpl. Baldridge, Sgt. Houck and Sgt. Bays. We take this as
a family loss,” said Maj. Gen. Andrew Poppas, Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell. “In the
days ahead, the 101st Soldiers and the Rakkasans will continue the fight against terrorism with unbridled determination. Our
Soldiers are battle-hardened and committed to the defense of our nation and the freedoms for which we fight."
The three soldiers posthumously earned the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. Baldridge was posthumously promoted to
Sgt., and, along with Bays, earned the Combat Infantry Badge and Army Commendation Medal. Houck was posthumously
awarded the Combat Action Badge and Army Commendation Medal.
In his White House press briefing Monday afternoon, Press Secretary Sean Spicer acknowledged the loss of the soldiers in
Afghanistan. Spicer said their thoughts and prayers are with the families of the American heroes.
The Pentagon is investigating the incident.
Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

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